"On, Wisconsin!" is the

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand, these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

of the Wisconsin Badgers at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. A version with modified lyrics is the official state song of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. "On, Wisconsin!" was also the cry that Arthur MacArthur Jr. used in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

History

The tune was composed in 1909 by William T. Purdy as "Minnesota, Minnesota," with the intention of entering it into a competition for a new fight song at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. Carl Beck, a former Wisconsin student, convinced him to withdraw it from the contest at the last minute and allow his alma mater to use it instead. Beck then wrote the original, football-oriented lyrics, changing the words "Minnesota, Minnesota" to "On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!" (The eventual winner of the competition became known as the Minnesota Rouser.) The

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

were rewritten for the state song in 1913 by Judge Charles D. Rosa and J. S. Hubbard. The song was widely recognized as the state song at that time but was never officially designated. Finally, in 1959, "On, Wisconsin!" was codified in Chapter 170, Laws of 1959, and is incorporated in Section 1.10 of the

statute A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

s. "On, Wisconsin!" was regarded by John Philip Sousa as "the finest of college marching songs". It has become one of the most popular fight songs in the country, with some 2,500 schools using some variation of it as their school song. There have been persistent rumors that the rights to the song are owned by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

. The song is actually in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

in the United States.Jenny Price.
Fight on for Her Fame
. ''On Wisconsin'', Winter 2009. The international rights are unclear.

Lyrics

Modified lyrics for the state song:

Battle cry

"On, Wisconsin!" was the cry that Arthur MacArthur Jr. used in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He seized the regimental colors and rallied his regiment with "On, Wisconsin!", for which he was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

Ownership

In the early 1980s, after the purchase of Edwin H. Morris & Company, lawyers working for

attempted to claim copyrights for several well-known songs, including ''On, Wisconsin!'' The entire catalog was later sold to Michael Jackson. When the copyright claim was initially made, public outcry demanded that the copyright be deeded over to the State of Wisconsin as the copyright holders were demanding royalties for performance. The matter was resolved quietly; however, rumors persist that McCartney or Jackson's estate holds the claim. The song remains in the public domain.Albin Krebs and Robert McG. Thomas Jr.
NOTES ON PEOPLE; McCartney Asked to Waive 'On, Wisconsin' Royalties
. ''New York Times'', January 21, 1981.

References

External links

MP3 file of "On, Wisconsin!" played by the University of Wisconsin Marching Band
- original sheet music at UW Mills Music Library's Wisconsin Sheet Music Database
One Hundred Years of "On, Wisconsin!"
(from the UW-Madison Libraries system)

from the Telegraph Herald, article by Meg Jones,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, November 15, 2009
Celebrating 100 years of 'On, Wisconsin!'
by Gwen Evans, University of Wisconsin News, October 14, 2009
The Liberation of "On Wisconsin"
by Elmer F. Cox, January 1, 1981
"On Wisconsin" copyright explained
(letter to the editor), Elmer F. Cox, Wisconsin State Journal, p. 9, February 12, 1994 {{Authority control 1910 songs